Method of consuming fumes



Feb. 19, 1935. 1.. WAKEFIELD 1,992,135

' METHOD 0 GONSUMING FUMES Filed Oct. 18, 1952 AEON L W9/(E/7ELD 11v VENTOR B Y K Ms A TTORNE y Patented Feb. 19, 1935 I r V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF CONSUIHING FUDIES Leon L. Wakefield, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 18, 1932, Serial No. 638,328

2 Claims. (Cl. 183- -6) This invention relates to a new and improved cordingly subjected to substantially the maximum .method of consuming objectionable fumes and heat of the furnace and pass entirely through vapors. the combustion chamber with the heated gases It is the main object of the invention to provide in their passage to the stack.

5 a method of this type which will result in the Furnaces of the above type usually have a 5 complete destruction of objectionable fumes and maximum temperature in the combustion chamwhich will accommodate a greater quantity of ber adjacent the burner of from 1800 F. to such fumes than the present types ,of' furnaces, 2300 F., this temperature being sufllcient in the without unnecessarily increasing the fuel confurnace disclosed herein to completely consume sumption or the size of the furnace and without the most objectionable malodorants. The pasin cooling the combustion space thereof to such an sage 18 is particularly useful, for example, for extent that the stronger malodorants would not disposing of malodorants from acid sludge tanks be completely consumed. and separators wherein the acid laden vapors The above and other objects will appear more must be subjected to relatively high temperature fully from the following description when conin order to be rendered harmless.

' l5 sidered in connection with the drawing in which: Milder fumes which require less severe treat- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view ment are introduced through a separate passage of the furnace. 20 used, for example, for disposing of the fumes Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. from weak acid concentrators, which fumes re- 20 Fume eliminating furnaces which have parquire less severe heat conditions for their dis- 2o ticularly objectionable fumes to be disposed ofposal. The passage 20 opens into the chamber usually admit all of the fumes to the combustion 12 wherein the fumes are subjected to a fairly space in the vicinity of the burner. This prachigh temperature, the fumes introduced through tice has certain objectionable features in that a the pass 20 being Subjected to a temperature furnace of a given capacity can accommodate of substantially 150 F. to 250F. as they enter as only a given quantity of malodorants without the chamber 12. The fumes admitted throu so reducing the temperature in the combustion the pass 20 P from the Chamber 12 to t e chamber that it is no longer effective for its inbody of heated gases as theyrpass from the comtended purpose. bustion chamber to the stack opening 16; These The objectionable features of the prior convapors attain a temperature of from 1000 F. to 30 structions are completely eliminated in the 1100" F. as they pass with the furnace gases method disclosed herein. through the opening 16 and into the stack 14,

In the drawing there is illustrated a furnace 4 this temperature being' sufficient in the case of having a combustion space 6 and provided at its milder fumes of the type referred to for render- 5 forward end with any usual type of burner 8, ing them harmless prior to their discharge from preferably designed to burn some type of vaporthe stack'12. ous or atomized fuel, such as gas or fuel oil. The The operation of the furnace will be readily rearward portion of the combustion chamber is understood from the above description. The formed with a transverse wall 10 extending downstronger malodorants are continuously introduced 40 wardly from the ceiling and spaced from the rearinto the combustion chamber through the pas- 40 ward wall and base of the furnace to form a sage 18 and, since these vapors are subjected to partially enclosed chamber 12 subjected to the the maximum heat of the furnace, they are comheat condition obtaining in the rearward portion pletely consumed and rendered harmless before of the combustion chamber. The combustion reaching the stack opening 16. The less harmful chamber communicates with the stack 14 through fumes, introduced through the passage 20, are 45 the stack passage 16 adjacent chamber 12. subjected to the heat condition obtaining in the The furnace is designed for complete consumprearward portion of the combustion space and tion of particularly objectionable fumes and to are comingled with the heated gases constitutthis end these fumes are introduced into the coming the production of combustion in their pasbustion space through the conducting pipe 18 sage to the stack opening 16. These vaporsare 60' which opens into the combustion space adjacent subjected to a less severe heat as these fumes do the burner 8. The pipe 18 is preferably located not require the maximum temperature of the above the burner and is inclined downwardly so furnace for their effective disposal. Since the that the fumes are forced directly into the flames milder fumes are introduced into the body of issuing from the burner. These fumes are acheated gases just prior to the passage of these '65 gases to the stack, the heat absorbed by these fumes has little or no effect upon the temperature in the main body. of the combustion chamber. Instead the gases constituting the products of the combustion in the furnace are merely cooled immediately prior to their discharge into the stack, this cooling of the vapors being advantageous rather than otherwise. There is accordingly provided a furnace wherein substantially twice the quantity of objectionable fumes can be disposed of with no increase in the size of the combustion space or in the quantity of heat supplied and without decreasing the effectiveness of the furnace for'consuming the most objectionable fumes.

While there is shown and described herein a x specific embodiment of the invention showing the best mode'of applying myinvention, it is to be understood that this is merely illustrative and that the scope of the invention is' to be determined from the appended claims.

' I claim as my invention:

1. The method of consuming fumes comprising introducing strong fumes into the combustion space of a furnace at a forward point for subjecting them to the maximum heat of the furnace and introducing weaker fumes into the gases passing from said combustion space for subjecting said weaker fumes to less than the maximum temperature of said furnace.

2. The method of consuming objectionable fumes in a furnace provided with a combustion space which attains a temperature of over 1800 F., comprising introducing strong fumes into said combustion space for being subjected to substantially the maximum temperature of said combustion space and introducing other fumes into said combustion space for being subjected to less than said maximum temperature and conducting all of said products of combustion to a stack.

LEON L. WAKEFIELD. 

